Wednesday, 30 November 2011

Fake Cut Experimentation

We have started to experiment with creating fake cuts. Some of the techniques we experimented with were less effective as we have not yet experimented with fake blood, so they could not be completely finished.

To experiment with Method Two, we bought some Special Effect Wax from www.amazon.co.uk. This product is designed specifically for make up and special effect injuries. We had difficulty working with the wax because it was too cold to mould, and once applied took a long time to dry. When we tried to speed the drying process with the use of hand-dryers, the wax lost its shape and therefore became less effective. We will soon try again with hair-dryers so that a cold setting can be used in an attempt to dry the wax. The original shape of the wax once moulded looked believable however, so if we can solve the drying problem this technique may prove successful.

To experiment with Method Three, we used simple make up products. These were a black eye liner pencil, a red lipstick and some red nail varnish. We used some purple eye shadow as well, but found that it did not improve the cut experiments. The original method called only for the lipstick and eye liner, but we tried the use of red nail varnish for fake blood and found that it looked quite effective.

On camera the cuts looked dramatic due to the dark red, although they could have looked more like scars than fresh cuts so could not be the correct appearance for our teaser trailer. The colouring around the cuts looked quite effective, and the different shades of red in the congealed red nail varnish also looks pleasing. Nail varnish has become a possibility for fake blood if no other fake blood experiments are successful. Below are examples of the cut experiments.

As we have not yet finished experimenting with fake cuts, we have not yet decided on the technique we will use. However, it is likely that we will use the professional moulding wax so that there is a physical break in the 'skin', instead of colouring on top of it.

This is a further experiment with the Special Effect Wax, which again proved difficult to work with. We used a hair-dryer to dry the wax, although it still rubbed off easily which would prove impractical during long filming days. However, once we added bruising around the cut and some red bruising in the middle, it looked quite effective on camera. This has led us to the decision to definitely use the wax for fake cuts.Below are arms with comparisons of cuts and bruises.